Seizure of Rocket launchers in AP : Seven arrested

Chennai, Sep 15 (UNI) The ''Q'' Branch police, probing the sensational Rocket launchers seizure case, have arrested seven people in the connection and revealed that the kingpin behind the transporation of arms, Srinivasa Reddy alias Raghu, belonged to a Naxalite Group in Andhra Pradesh.

Tamil Nadu Director General of Police (DGP) D Mukherjee told reporters here today that Srinivas Reddy and his wife Sudharani hailed from Nellore district in Andhra Pradesh and belonged to a Naxalite group of that State.

Releasing the photographs of the couple to the media and detailing the steps taken by the ''Q'' Branch Police after being informed by their Andhra Pradesh counterpart on the seizure of a huge cache of rockets and rocket launchers at Mahaboobnagar, Mr Mukherjee said nine people, including the Naxalite-couple, have been accused in the case.

Seven people were arrested after detailed probe and searches revealed that rockets and launchers were manufactured in seven lathe workshops and foundries situated at Padi, Korattur and Mugappair areas on the outskirts of Chennai.

Mr Mukherjee said they were manufactured in Everest Engineering Company (EEC), Universal Casts, Bharat Fine Engineering in Padi, Jaitech Engineering Company (JEC) and Shanthi Engineering Company (SEC) in Korattur and Arun Engineering Company (AEC) and Dhanalakshmi Foundry (DF) in Mugappair.

Of the seven arrested, one of them, Veerabadra Rao, was an agent of Kranti Transport in Mannurpet, situated in the city's suburbs, from where three consignments were transported to Andhra Pradesh for Maoists.

The other six were EEC owner Sivaji, JEC owner Kumar, SEC owner Ramesh, AEC owner Arunachalam, DF owner Muthusamy and Universal Casts owner Annamalai.

A special party had been fanned out to Nellore to arrest the naxalite-couple, Mr Mukherjee said.

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